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Description

Preece writes: 'On March 19th, 1884, I submitted to the Royal Society a paper on the heating effects of electric currents, showing the strength of current necessary to fuse the fine platinum wire employed for protecting submarine cables from the ill effects of atmospheric electricity [see PP/4/42]. The paper proved that the law that regulates the production of heat is one which can be expressed by the formula C = ad3/2, “a” being a constant dependent on the metal used, and “d” the diameter of the wire. The current observed was that which heated the wire up to the point of self-luminosity (525°C.).'

Annotations in pencil and ink.

Subject: Electricity

Received 24 November 1887. Read 22 December 1887.

A version of this paper was published in volume 43 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On the heating effects of electric currents. No. II'.

Reference number
PP/11/14
Earliest possible date
1887
Physical description
Ink and graphite pencil on paper
Page extent
25 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

William Henry Preece

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Citation

William Henry Preece, Paper, 'On the heating effects of electric currents. No II' by W H [William Henry] Preece, 1887, PP/11/14, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/pp_11_14/paper-on-the-heating-effects-of-electric-currents-no-ii-by-w-h-william-henry-preece, accessed on 11 February 2025

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  • Proceedings Papers

    Dates: 1882 - 1894

    The archival collection known as 'Proceedings Papers' is comprised of manuscripts and occasional proofs of scientific papers sent to the Royal Society which were read before meetings of Fellows and printed in full in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

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